July 24 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is asking Russia to clarify
the status of fugitive former security contractor Edward Snowden
after reports from Moscow that he’s been given papers to leave
the airport, White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

“We have seen the reports,” Carney told reporters
traveling with President Barack Obama aboard Air Force One. “We
are seeking clarity from the Russian authorities about Mr.
Snowden’s status or any changes.”

Snowden applied for a 12-month renewable refugee status in
Russia on July 16. The state-run news service RIA Novosti,
citing unidentified officials, reported he has been issued
papers by the Federal Migration Service that would allow him to
leave Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

His Moscow-based lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told reporters
in Moscow today that Snowden remains at the airport and is still
awaiting the documentation.

Snowden’s presence in Russia has further strained relations
with the U.S. weeks before Obama is scheduled to meet with
President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in early September just ahead
of a meeting of Group of 20 nations in St. Petersburg.

The Obama administration has repeatedly urged Russia to
expel Snowden to the U.S. and White House officials have
repeatedly declined to confirm that the meeting with Putin will
proceed.

“It our view that Mr. Snowden should be expelled and
returned to the United States,” Carney said today. Regarding
any meeting with Putin, he would only say that Obama “intends
to travel to Russia for the G-20 summit.”

Snowden, who exposed classified U.S. programs that collect
telephone and Internet data, has been seeking asylum around the
world as U.S. authorities press for his return to face
prosecution.